The best free Mac cleaners in 2026, honestly compared
"Free Mac cleaner" covers everything from genuinely free open-source tools to apps that scan for free and then ask for a subscription before they'll delete anything. Neither is wrong, but you should know which you're getting. Here's what's really free, what each tool cleans, and where paying a little makes sense.
We make SpaceSweep, which is free to scan but charges to clean. We've included it with that label, alongside tools that cost nothing at all. Checked November 2026.
Completely free
macOS Storage settings
Already on your Mac: System Settings › General › Storage. It can empty the Trash automatically, move files to iCloud, and list your largest documents, apps and iOS backups so you can delete them in place. It won't clean caches or explain "System Data", but it's the safest place to start.
AppCleaner
Drop an app onto AppCleaner and it finds the app's leftover preferences, caches and support files, then removes them with it. Free, small, and the most widely recommended uninstaller for the Mac.
Pearcleaner
An open-source uninstaller that does the same job as AppCleaner and can also find leftover files from apps you've already deleted.
OnyX
A free maintenance toolbox: it runs macOS's maintenance scripts, clears system caches, rebuilds indexes and exposes hidden settings. Powerful, but meant for people who know what each option does.
GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper
Free tools that show what's using your disk — GrandPerspective as a treemap, OmniDiskSweeper as a list sorted by size. They don't clean anything automatically; you find the big files and delete them yourself.
Mole
An open-source cleaner you run from Terminal, popular with developers. It clears caches, logs and developer junk with one command. Read what it will remove before you confirm — command-line tools don't hold your hand.
Free to scan, paid to clean
Most polished cleaners — including CleanMyMac, BuhoCleaner and our own SpaceSweep — let you scan for free and charge to clean. That's a fair model as long as the price is clear up front.
SpaceSweep
SpaceSweep scans the Trash, Xcode junk, Mail attachment downloads, Downloads, caches, logs and more, and shows them on one chart. Scanning and its Storage Explorer (your home folder sorted by size, hidden folders included) are free. Cleaning needs Pro: $0.99 a month, $6.99 a year or $24.99 once, for up to 3 Macs. It doesn't uninstall apps or scan for malware.
CleanMyMac and BuhoCleaner
Both are all-in-one apps — cleanup, uninstaller and more — with free trials. At the time of writing each costs around $40 a year for one Mac. Worth it if you want everything in one place; see our CleanMyMac alternatives if you don't.
Side by side
| Tool | Cleans junk | Uninstalls apps | Shows what's using space | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| macOS Storage settings | — | Partly | Partly | Free |
| AppCleaner / Pearcleaner | — | Yes | — | Free |
| OnyX | Yes, manual | — | — | Free |
| GrandPerspective / OmniDiskSweeper | — | — | Yes | Free |
| Mole | Yes, Terminal | — | — | Free |
| SpaceSweep | Yes | — | Yes | Free scan; $6.99/yr to clean |
| CleanMyMac / BuhoCleaner | Yes | Yes | Yes | About $40/yr |
What to avoid
- "Cleaners" advertised through pop-ups that claim your Mac is infected or "critically slow". Real apps don't sell like that.
- RAM or memory "boosters". macOS manages memory itself; purging it just makes apps reload what they'd cached.
- Anything that deletes caches without telling you what they are. Most caches are safe to clear, but some apps lose settings or need to rebuild for hours. See is it safe to delete cache files?
- Apps you can't trace to a real developer. A cleaner needs broad access to your files — install only ones with a clear website and company behind them.
Our recommendation
Start with macOS Storage settings and empty the Trash. Add AppCleaner or Pearcleaner for uninstalling. If you still need space and don't know where it went, run a free scan with SpaceSweep or a disk map like GrandPerspective to see what's taking it. Pay only if a tool clearly saves you time.
Scan free, pay only if it's worth it
SpaceSweep shows exactly how much space each kind of junk takes before you spend anything.
Download SpaceSweepQuestions
Is there a completely free Mac cleaner?
Yes. OnyX, Mole, AppCleaner and Pearcleaner are free, and GrandPerspective and OmniDiskSweeper are free disk analyzers. Most polished all-in-one cleaners scan for free but charge to clean.
Are free Mac cleaners safe?
The well-known ones listed here are. Be wary of cleaners promoted through alarming pop-ups, and of any tool that deletes system files without explaining what they are.
Do Macs need cleaning software?
Not for everyday health. Cleaning software helps when your disk is nearly full and you want to find and remove large, safe-to-delete files quickly.